Buzz Out Loud Podcast

A new service uses the power of 400 virtualized computers in the cloud to test the security of your WPA WiFi password. They only charge $34. But Donald is afraid of how this penetration testing might show up on his credit card bill. But forget WiFi. WiGig is coming promising 7Gbps transfer speeds. Take that Ethernet cable!

Listen now: Download today's podcast

WiGig alliance creates next-generation wireless networking standard
http://venturebeat.com/2009/12/10/wigig-alliance-creates-next-generation-wireless-networking-standard/
http://gigaom.com/2009/12/10/coming-soon-to-your-hd-home-theater-7gbps/

Microsoft finally open sources Windows 7 tool
http://arstechnica.com/microsoft/news/2009/12/microsoft-finally-open-sources-windows-7-tool.ars

Buy a DVD on Amazon; Start Watching the Movie in Minutes
http://newteevee.com/2009/12/09/buy-a-dvd-on-amazon-start-watching-the-movie-in-minutes/

Nokia to close some of its most visible stores
http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20091210-705904.html

Amazon says no plans to open brick and mortar stores
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/amazon/6750973/Amazon-denies-high-street-rumours.html

Hitwise: Google Near 72% Of All US Searches
http://searchengineland.com/hitwise-google-near-72-of-all-us-searches-31530

Bing ads over 75% more likely to be clicked than Google ads
http://arstechnica.com/microsoft/news/2009/12/bing-ads-over-75-more-likely-to-be-clicked-than-google-ads.ars

Court indicates ripping CDs to MP3 may be fair use
http://yro.slashdot.org/story/09/12/09/1835205/Court-Says-Fair-Use-May-Hold-In-Some-RIAA-Cases

Biometric Face Recognition At Your Local Mall
http://tech.slashdot.org/story/09/12/10/0224204/Biometric-Face-Recognition-At-Your-Local-Mall

Harnessing the Cloud for Hacking
http://www.technologyreview.com/web/24127/?a=f

Wireless Brain-to-Computer Connection Synthesizes Speech
http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/12/wireless-brain/

Failure of Russia’s latest nuclear missile prompts UFO frenzy
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article6951635.ece

Best of 2009 clips show
This year’s Best of 2009 episode is going to be entirely listener submitted. So be a part of this listener created experience: Clip out your favorite moments from any episode published in 2009. Export your clip as an MP3 of at least 128kbp. Email the clip to buzz@cnet.com. Subject: Best of 2009 – Episode ####. Deadline for submissions is Friday, Dec. 18, 2009. Please hurry! And with enough people pitching in 2-3 clips, we should end up with an awesome clips show.

Listener co-host show
Want to talk with us on this year’s listener co-host show? These interviews will be recorded Monday, December 21 from 3-4pm PT. Email buzz@cnet.com, subject “Listener Co-host”, and include your name, contact number where you can be reached for the interview (landline preferred), and we will compile the list and select four people for the show.

VOICEMAIL
Matt on trying to buy ebooks

Derrick from Chicago knows someone who worked at the theater that threw the girl in jail.

Tim on Facebook privacy

EMAIL
BOL crew,

Just thought I’d let you know that Barnes & Noble is actually shipping
the Nooks. I pre-ordered mine in the first couple of days they
started taking orders, and mine arrived yesterday. In the finest
tradition of “pictures or it didn’t happen” here are some pictures:

I like it over all. The reviews saying it’s a little sluggish are
pretty accurate when it comes to doing lots of navigation, but once
you settle in to reading, I find the experience very similar to the
Sony PRS-505 I had. One disappointment is that even with the wireless
connections, the Nook won’t sync your place in a book between devices.
I had started reading George R.R. Martin’s “A Game of Thrones” on my
iPhone. Having read the book for Sword and Laser, I’m sure Tom will
realize what a challenge it was to find the right chapter (Arya, Bran,
Tyrion, Jon, Daenerys, Eddard, etc.) by hand. I’m hoping that Amazon
didn’t get a patent for something as obvious as syncing locations
between reading devices and that this will get fixed in a Nook update
later.

Love the show.

Kyle Johnson
Durham, NC

**********

Hey guys, just wanted to add a comment about your discussion of EAs DLC in episode 1122. One problem with their DLC, at least in Dragon Age, is that once you use the DLC in-game and then save the game you will have to be connected to the internet for verification EACH time you want to play the game. Fine for people with always-on internet but not so great for those of us without or when you loose internet access and want to play. Love the show!
Glenn from NH

**********

In regards to the news of brazil being the world champion in spam I
would like to point a few things:
1- we are one of the largest online populations of the world

2- the vast majority of those computers are running a pirated version
of windows xp or 98, pirated office and programs for pirating music,
(there’s no iTunes or Amazon music store) and very few run antivirus.

3-the most popular way to access the Internet is not to own a
computer, but to access public terminals in LAN houses or government
sponsored Internet centers. All “favelas” have one.

If that doens’t ring a bell, let me put in another way: did you know
brazil is the only country to have an official, nationwide, public
holiday on November 20 called Zombie day (dia do zumbi). True, check
wikipedia.

Alexandre V

Microsoft cancels its family licensing program and Molly decides it needs a lesson in economics. Stop focusing on dimes, Microsoft! We also plea for some common sense in the case of the woman jailed for recording some of the new "Twilight" movie at a birthday party.

Listen now: Download today's podcast

Apple buys Lala service
http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2009/12/apple-buys-music-streamer-lala-but-whats-it-getting.ars?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss
http://news.cnet.com/8301-31001_3-10410206-261.html
http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/09/12/07/apples_lala_purchase_could_bring_browser_access_to_itunes_content.html

"New Moon" taping may put woman in prison
http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Movies/12/04/new.moon.arrest/

“So, Verizon, about those doubled early termination fees…”
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2009/12/so-verizon-about-those-doubled-early-termination-fees.ars

New Senate bill targets unfair early termination fees
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2009/12/new-senate-bill-targets-unfair-early-termination-fees.ars

Amazon in secret plan to open high street shops
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/retailing/article6945922.ece

Zappos.com offers an actual world catalog
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/07/business/media/07zappos.html

Microsoft kills Windows family pack discount just before the holidays
http://www.dailytech.com/Microsoft+Kills+Windows+Family+Pack+Discount+Just+Before+the+Holidays/article17043.htm

Intel: Initial Larrabee graphics chip canceled
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13924_3-10409715-64.html
http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/blogs/bizfeed/183810/larrabee_project_a_casualty_of_intels_legal_battles.html?tk=rss_news

US agency’s balloon hunt tests Internet accuracy
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8397649.stm
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34303629/ns/technology_and_science-innovation/

MIT team wins DARPA network challenge
http://www.informationweek.com/news/government/info-management/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=222000809

Hackers vs. phishers
http://it.slashdot.org/story/09/12/07/1318225/Hackers-vs-Phishers

VOICE MAIL
Anonymous on why facebook.com shows up in search

E-MAIL
Buzz Crew:

Thank you.

I began listening to the Buzz Out Loud podcast after losing my job
in March of this year. The topics and discussions, though not directly
related to my career up to that point, were interesting and engaging.

Over the following 7 months, I faithfully listened to the podcast.

I realized early on in my search for new employment that the field
of industry with which I was familiar would not offer any meaningful
opportunites. Though my resume provided no technical experience
basis for doing so, I expanded my search to include many high-tech
companies unrelated to my area of expertise.

During a recent interview with one of these companies, I found
myself responding fluidly and confidently to technical questions that
the experience on my resume indicated I should not necessarily have
known the answers to.

Introspection after that interview brought me to the conclusion that,
by virtue of my daily dosages of Buzz, I had at my disposal a new set
of knowledge tools with which to rebuild my stalled career.

That interview, by the way, led to the position I currently enjoy with
a great company.

Thank you for the education. May the universe grant me some day
the opportunity to repay you all for the parts you played in helping
me get back on my professional feet.

Gratefully,

Jim in San Jose

**********

I have to be say I don’t understand google’s problem with printer drivers. Linux has CUPS (the Common Unix Printing System) which has support for tons of printers. No drivers to install or anything. I believe it is based off of and/or the same as the printer set up in Mac OS X. I use linux almost exclusively (except for gaming) and setting up my network HP printer is amazingly easy. Why wouldn’t google use this open source tool? It’s like saying we are making a linux distro without access to the file system or you know custom skinning…. Oh wait they’re doing that too.
Love the show
Sam in Seattle

**********

Hi, Buzz folks,

Once upon a time, a very long time ago, in the midst of the Browser Wars between Microsoft and Netscape, the people of the planet Netscape offered a reward to online companies, like hosting and web design companies who provided a link to the Netscape browser downoad (which carried a service fee of a few dollars.

It was Netscapes policy to pay thos referral commissions, no matter how small, even when the postage on the check exceeded the amount of the payment. See the attached.
http://img402.imageshack.us/img402/3041/netscape1.jpg
Tim T.

One thing Droid users can lord over iPhone fanatics is the new porn app. Yes, with no Apple adult minding its app catalog, Android users can go adult. We also debate the reality of Cyber Monday and congratulate Twitter on being word of the year. Plus, we know you're all wishing for Macs for Christmas, but you're going to get a Netbook. Amazon doesn't lie.

Listen now: Download today's podcast

Black Friday boasts $595 million in U.S. online holiday spending, up 11 percent vs. year ago
http://www.comscore.com/Press_Events/Press_Releases/2009/11/Black_Friday_Boasts_595_Million_in_U.S._Online_Holiday_Spending_Up_11_Percent_Versus_Year_Ago

Twitter’ top word of 2009
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17939_109-10405994-2.html

Barnes & Noble delaying Nook shipments to stores
http://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idUSN2942046420091130

Kindle breaks record for sales in a single month during November
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Kindle-Breaks-Record-for-bw-1721662599.html?x=0&.v=1

Macs are Amazon’s most wished for, PC’s most given
http://brainstormtech.blogs.fortune.cnn.com/2009/11/29/macs-are-amazons-most-wished-for/

Leak: The Google Phone “is a certainty”
http://gizmodo.com/5415169/leak-the-google-phone-is-a-certainty

Wikipedia denies mass exodus of editors
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8382477.stm

French court slams eBay with 1.7M fine over LVMH product resale dispute
http://eu.techcrunch.com/2009/11/30/french-court-slams-ebay-with-e1-7m-fine-over-lvmh-product-resale-dispute/
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2009/11/mininova-buries-pirate-booty-in-its-index-aims-to-go-legit.ars

Porn app store lands on Android phones
http://www.pcworld.com/article/183342/porn_app_store_lands_on_android_phones.html

Online “guilds” mirror real life gangs
http://games.slashdot.org/story/09/11/30/1358241/Online-Guilds-Mirror-Real-Life-Gangs

VOICE MAIL
Anonymous – how Bing is gaining share

E-MAIL
Look! In your hand, on your desk. It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s Twitter!!!!!!

Hey all in Buzzington,
Yes, it’s me again. This time with some good news…I think. Just saw this post on TechCrunch and it reminded me of your carrier pigeon vs DSL episode. Only this time, it’s Twitter vs. the mainstream media, with Twitter coming out looking like The Flash. Seriously, the Tiger Woods accident was all over Twitter within minutes; ten minutes later Google was all over it. So in a matter of fifteen minutes everyone in on social networking knew all the details involving the Tiger Woods accident. It took CNN 45 minutes just to get the ‘breaking story’ that “according to officials, Tiger Woods had crashed.”

We are in a major transition here; the internet is taking over, like it or not.

JoshuaCaleb

**********

You remember the story about the “web loyalty” scam where company A gives company B your credit card number and you get a recurring monthly charge in exchange for nothing.

Well, I recently discovered a recurring charge on my wife’s credit card for “VPCLUBUS” for $14.95 a month (VP = Vista Print, one of the participants in this scam). I called the card company to complain, they said they could dispute this charge, or I could file a fraud report, and they’d dispute the whole chain of charges and give me a new card number, but they gave me the phone number for the company and suggested I try to work it out with them first.

So, I called the provided Vista Print 800 number (and recorded the conversation just in case), and was pleasantly surprised with how quickly I was able to get my money back. I got an automated system telling me to type in my rewards number or card number, so I key in the credit card number. The automated thing looked up my info and told me I signed up on Jan 20th, and told me to hit “1″ to cancel my subscription. So I hit “1″. It says its canceled and I get a refund on the last charge, and to hit “0″ if I want to talk to someone. So I hit “0″ and tell the lady that I never signed up and I want a refund for the whole string of charges. They transfer me to someone else who picks up and says: Sorry for any misunderstanding, we’ll refund everything. Expect to see it on your card in 3 days. Here’s my name and reference number for the transaction.

And that’s it. The whole call was 4 minutes and 14 seconds. They get so many of these that they’ve actually streamlined the refund process.

So, BOLers, if you see this kind of charge, call the credit card company, get the number for the loyalty program, and see if you can’t get the whole thing refunded. – Tyler

**********

Hi everybody,

I am split on the whole 3 strikes thing. On one hand, I do some questionable things online that whould probably violate this new law. But on the other hand, such a law is probably the only thing that will make me stop said questionable activities. So… why not?

Love the show – Chris

No, no, fellow residents of southern Illinois, not tractor pulling--tracker pulling! The Pirate Bay has pulled out the trackers, but that doesn't mean you can't download anything. The site's still up for now using a different technology. Also, Google's book deal seems to have been changed, but not enough to satisfy its opponents. And Natali and I get into a philosophical argument.

Listen now: Download today's podcast

Google book settlement revised, criticized
http://arstechnica.com/media/news/2009/11/google-offers-revised-book-settlement-but-critics-unappeased.ars
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10398995-93.html

AOL to spin off Dec. 9, begin trading Dec. 10
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10399445-93.html

Amazon to launch Kindle in Canada
http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSTRE5AG38V20091117

The Pirate Bay tracker shuts down for good
http://torrentfreak.com/the-pirate-bay-tracker-shuts-down-for-good-091117/

Swedish retailer pirates the Pirate Bay logo
http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2009/11/piratebay-logo-registered/

Activision denies Modern Warfare 2 Russian ban
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2009/11/17/russia_mw2/
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17852_3-10399131-71.html

Twitter, Orange rock MMS in the U.K.
http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Web-Services-Web-20-and-SOA/Twitter-Orange-Rock-MMS-in-the-UK-814457/
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17939_109-10399475-2.html

NBC Launches all-in-one video player, VoIP and texting tool--and it's ad-supported
http://paidcontent.org/article/419-nbc-launches-all-in-one-video-player-voip-and-texting-tool-and-its-ad-s/

Times editor James Harding outlines plans for online charging
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/nov/17/times-editor-james-harding-online-charging

MIT robot rides shotgun to make us happier drivers
http://www.wired.com/autopia/2009/11/mit-robot-rides-shotgun-to-make-us-happier-drivers/

VOICE MAIL

Anonymous – tip for Xbox 360 isn’t true

E-MAIL
How Google Voice forwards to Skype using Gizmo and no Skypein number is pretty easy. Once you set up your Gizmo account to work with your Google Voice account, you can then go to Gizmo, and by using the forwarding tab, you can enter a Skype ID which is the first option. Since this is a VOIP solution, I don’t even think funds are required such as forwarding to phone number.

I don’t see Gizmo or Google Voice killing this feature, but Skype may have a problem with it. However, in reality – I noticed that when it’s not a Skype – Skype communication, or if you are forwarding your Skype to a phone number, it seems to degrade the quality. Personally, I only use Skype for calls in the event that the cell phone doesn’t work, and use a SIP client for Gizmo based calls.

However, nonetheless, at least until Skype doesn’t like the fair competition, and may try to alienate users, this works just fine. A note of advise. While Google Voice accepts SMS from phone numbers, it doesn’t take Short Code numbers (such as Twitter’s 40404), so you couldn’t set your GV number to show in Skype’s CID info, so calls from Skype would still not show a number where you could be reached.

Hope this provides some enlightenment,
Frank

**********

Our cable went out the other day so we had been waiting for HULU to put the latest episode of “V” online.
One thing we noticed while watching it was that it had the “WSB-TV Atlanta” logo branding in the lower left corner. Does everyone see this, or just people in the Atlanta area? Does this mean they have a HULU server in every market? We went to the abc website, and that branding was not there, just the plain abc logo branding.

I just thought this was odd.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Geoff Johnson

Amazon's trying to compete with PayPal with a new service that brings one-click shopping into the rest of the non-Amazon world. We also kick around a rumor of Netflix coming to the Wii and discuss Google and Yahoo music searches. Oh, and then Cooley and I get deep about business models and copyright. That's near the end, though--if you don't like lectures.

Listen now: Download today's podcast

Google music search announced. Still doesn’t work for Tom
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10385755-93.html

Yahoo yells that it’s had it since June
http://www.ysearchblog.com/2009/10/28/play-that-funky-music-with-yahoo-search/

Amazon to take on PayPal with PayPhrase
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE59S0FH20091029

Confirmed: Netflix streaming coming to the Wii very shortly
http://blog.streamingmedia.com/the_business_of_online_vi/2009/10/confirmed-netflix-streaming-coming-to-the-wii-very-soon.html

Google tells FCC it’s still blocking calls, but fewer of them
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/posttech/2009/10/google_voice_tells_fcc_its_sti.html

Microsoft and Yahoo delay signing search deal
http://www.businessinsider.com/microsoft-and-yahoo-delay-signing-search-deal-2009-10
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-10385671-56.html

NBA brings League Pass to iPhone, Android; out-of-market package runs $40
http://paidcontent.org/article/419-nba-brings-league-pass-to-iphone-android-out-of-market-package-runs-40/
http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSTRE59S2NM20091029

Twitter users warned about new phishing attack
http://news.cnet.com/8301-27080_3-10385661-245.html

Xerox claims printable electronics breakthrough
http://tech.slashdot.org/story/09/10/29/038210/Xerox-Claims-Printable-Electronics-Breakthrough

40th anniversary of Internet working without a crash
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/AheadoftheCurve/today-internets-40th-birthday/story?id=8945743

VOICE MAIL
Joe about LSU and Gmail

Sloan on his experience in Gmail

RogueTess on the Slate name

E-MAIL

Hey Buzzers, I just read a rather startling article on Slashdot. The article says that amazon has patented a new ‘invention’ that will replace words in all kinds of text documents(book, reviews, etc) with synonyms in an effort to track pirating. As an author I find this very disturbing, I don’t want amazon to go changing my hard work just so they can track piracy.
So my question to you is, is this for real and am I understanding it right. Please advise.

Future best selling author,
JoshuaCaleb

P.S. Keep up the great work.
http://yro.slashdot.org/story/09/10/28/2236235/Amazon-Patents-Changing-Authors-Words

**********

BOL folks:

My son is approaching the age where a cell phone may come in handy for communicating and coordinating activities. Things like “Running 10 minutes late.” “Meet me at Field 3 after soccer practice.” I’ve been looking for a cheap and light texting-only device. Perhaps the TwitterPeek can do that? Hmmm.

Keep on buzzing,
ymt

**********

Holiday Help Desk
November 23-December 23
4 PM ET/1 PM PT
Coming soon to http://live.cnet.com/
More details to follow!

Molly and I go off on the Net neutrality debate, not so much about what the meaning of it is, but more on why you shouldn't use lies to defend your position. We also discuss the attractiveness of the Nook from Barnes and Noble, and Molly and Rafe have a BlackBerry fight. About the phones. Not the fruit.

Listen now: Download today's podcast

Retail distribution may tip e-reader race; Barnes & Noble rolls out Nook
http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=26305

Barnes & Noble’s Nook: A virtual e-reader tour
http://www.pcworld.com/article/173999/barnes_and_nobles_nook_a_virtual_ereader_tour.html
http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/10/21/barnes.noble.nook/

BlackBerry Bold 9700 (Onyx) now official
http://www.intomobile.com/2009/10/21/blackberry-bold-9700-onyx-now-official.html
http://www.cnet.com/8301-17918_1-10379329-85.html

Google to blend search, music in One Box
http://news.cnet.com/8301-31001_3-10379922-261.html

Exclusive: Guess who else is coming to dinner? Twitter-Microsoft Bing deal confirmed, but so is Facebook-Bing
http://kara.allthingsd.com/20091021/exclusive-guess-who-else-is-coming-to-dinner-twitter-microsoft-bing-deal-confirmed-but-so-is-facebook-bing/

Time Warner testing fix to hole in home router
http://news.cnet.com/8301-27080_3-10379477-245.html
http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2009/10/time-warner-cable/

Amazon: Windows 7 is ‘the biggest preorder product of all time’
http://www.tgdaily.com/content/view/44377/140/

AT&T enlists employees to oppose Net neutrality
http://news.cnet.com/8301-30686_3-10379360-266.html

Verizon CEO slams Net neutrality at conference
http://news.cnet.com/8301-30686_3-10379932-266.html

Nvidia targeting real-time Cloud rendering
http://tech.slashdot.org/story/09/10/21/1354224/NVIDIA-Targeting-Real-Time-Cloud-Rendering

LHC reaches operational temps, collisions start in 5 weeks
http://arstechnica.com/science/news/2009/10/final-lhc-segment-reaches-operational-temperature-at-19k.ars

GE shows off pocket-size ultrasound scanner
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17939_109-10379692-2.html

VOICE MAIL
Frank L has a crafty Windows upgrade plan

E-MAIL
Hey BOL
U2 is live streaming their Sunday concert form the Rose Bowl! How cool is that?! http://news.cnet.com/8301-13772_3-10379610-52.html. I went to the Vertigo Tour in LA in 2005, so I know this will utterly fail in comparison, but still, a free, online concert from one of my favorite bands? Sign me up, cuz now I’ll definitely be waiting for the DVD (maybe Blu-Ray?) to come out. Hope this becomes a new trend with music in the very near future. Plus, I also think this lines up with someone’s New Years prediction if I’m not mistaken.

LTS,
Ben the Industrial Engineering Grad Student from Arkansas

Mozilla is upset about the browser ballot screen because it's alphabetical, left to right, by manufacturer. That means Apple gets the prime spot. We think that's parsing the screen too closely. So we decide to parse it even more! And we also reinvent battery technology and solve America's Internet problems. And can you believe it? We even do more. It's true.

Listen now: Download today's podcast

False Alarm: New iPhone 3GS Not Jailbreak-Proof
http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2009/10/jailbreak-iphone

Wal-Mart Strafes Amazon in Book War
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125565024634288895.html
http://blogs.siliconvalley.com/gmsv/2009/10/wal-mart-wades-into-amazon-with-machete.html

Apple gets best spot in EU browser ‘ballot screen,’ Mozilla says
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9139428/Apple_gets_best_spot_in_EU_browser_ballot_screen_Mozilla_says

Windows 7? Don’t Upgrade, Buy A New PC
http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/173792/windows_7_dont_upgrade_buy_a_new_pc.html

Schmidt: "Android Adoption Is About To Explode"
http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/10/15/schmidt-android-adoption-is-about-to-explode/

Line sharing best solution for slow, expensive US broadband
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2009/10/us-internet-is-slow-expensiveand-the-fcc-has-proof.ars

Internet Traffic Shifting Away From Tier-1 Carriers
http://tech.slashdot.org/story/09/10/16/1555228/Internet-Traffic-Shifting-Away-From-Tier-1-Carriers

Judge: ringtones aren’t performances, so no royalties
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2009/10/judge-ringtones-arent-performances-so-no-royalties.ars

Intelligent speed bumps collapse to reward slow-pokes, cut down on emissions
http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/16/intelligent-speed-bumps-collapse-to-reward-slow-pokes-cut-down/

Boffins ‘write directly to memory’ of living brains
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/10/16/boffins_program_fly_brains/

VOICEMAIL
Matt in Orlando on Light Peak

Patrick in NH explains problem with Viper car start

E-MAIL
Hey guys (and girls)!

I have an iPhone 3gs an an apple headset but when I’m on a call and
start my car it will ALWAYS disconnect any Bluetooth devices from my
phone and hijack the connection…

It’s kinda nice though Bering into the car and having everything
change over, the problem is when you get out you have to manually try
to reconnect a Bluetooth device before it will work – thus is not
always easy…

Oh and a bog shout out to all the Irish geeks listening in! LOVE THE
SHOW

Sent from my iPhone

Brian Murphy

**********

I was catching up on my podcasts and heard you discussing a penny-sized nuclear battery that had 6 times more charge than a conventional battery.
Turns out that story originates from the University of Missouri, my place of employment!

Un-cited quote:
"To provide enough power, we need certain methods with high energy density," said Jae Kwon, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at MU. "The radioisotope battery can provide power density that is six orders of magnitude higher than chemical batteries." And it’s perfectly safe.

Notice that’s not 6 times more charge, its 6 ORDERS OF MAGNITUDE more charge (sorry for yelling, I’m excited). Now my Furby can chatter on forever!

Buzz on RafMoNatToJaCooTong.
Tony in Missouri

Amazon announced same-day delivery for certain areas today, although we're not sure if you can buy wines by the glass. We also cover the BlackBerry Storm and the Motorola Cliq announcements. Guess which one we like better? And the Danger Sidekick tale continues.

Listen now: Download today's podcast

Don’t change your Twitter passwords if you don’t want to lose your account
http://www.infoworld.com/d/applications/twitter-warns-users-not-change-log-in-data-until-further-notice-815

Microsoft confirms data recovery for Sidekick users
http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2009/oct09/10-15sidekick.mspx
http://blogs.zdnet.com/microsoft/?p=4245

Sidekick outage is more than just an inconvenience for deaf people
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-10375186-56.html

Sidekick users file a lawsuit
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-10375240-56.html

BlackBerry Storm 2: Marginally better
http://reviews.cnet.com/cell-phones/rim-blackberry-storm-2/4505-6454_7-33776074.html
http://cnettv.cnet.com/rim-blackberry-storm-2-verizon-wireless/9742-1_53-50078204.html

Motorola Cliq
http://reviews.cnet.com/smartphones/motorola-cliq-t-mobile/4505-6452_7-33770768.html

Wal-Mart to launch prepaid plans
http://www.mobilecrunch.com/2009/10/14/walmart-launching-own-pre-paid-cell-plans/

Amazon.com introduces same-day delivery
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/15/amazoncom-introduces-same-day-delivery/?hp

Gartner Says worldwide PC shipments returned to growth in third quarter of 2009
http://www.gartner.com/it/page.jsp?id=1207613

Google to launch remote book downloading service
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2009-10-15-google-editions_N.htm?csp=34

U.K. copyright group tells cinemas to ban laptops
http://yro.slashdot.org/story/09/10/15/1321243/UK-Copyright-Group-Tells-Cinemas-to-Ban-Laptops

New CBS News iPhone app (shameless)
http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=334256223&mt=8

Voice mail
Rob wants to know about this Sprint data-only phone

Vic the Texas Rancher Pilot on a use for the iPhone car starter

E-mail
Hi Buzz Crew

See:

http://www.joinfreesat.co.uk/index.php/software-update-causes-mass-box-
failure

A major software update to UK sat tv HD Freesat boxes has bricked many
boxes including mine. No warning and no way to re-wind. I have no TV at
all now and helpful tech support guy says they will be sending out a
new over-the-air update in the next few days – hopefully. Don’t know
how it will work as box reboots every 30 secs at the moment!

So no TV, no Hulu in the UK. Looks like a lot of Podcasts to listen
to.

Love the show

Paul the no-tv-for-now guy in the UK.

***********

Hey buzz crew,
When you were talking about the business week article on WiFi direct I
couldn’t help thinking this sounds an aweful lot like a protocol that
we already have: ad-hoc wireless!
I’ve used this tons of times to connect two laptops without a router.
What’s the big deal?

Love the show!

Ben the network security admin
Rochester, NY

***********

After hearing Texas Instruments threatened individuals who hacked their TI calculators, I began to wonder why would Texas Instruments even care. In my mind, other than being completely ignorant to the potential of the benefits of hacking, there are only two reasons why Texas Instruments would care.

1. The software programs offered on the more recent versions of the TI family don’t require the CPU processors or Ram that they currently have. If you are able to hack the calculator and import the TI-89 version on the software on a TI-83 version, you have now better calculator without them getting the additional payments. (Which, if true, is sad because they would rather protect their old technology than innovate and develop a brand new standard for calculators)

2. They are protecting the ability for their calculators to be considered “approved” for standardized testing. If hacks are available, they may feel they could lose that “approved” branding, which would hurt their sales dramatically.

(One could make the argument of preventing students from flashing a library of game-boy games onto the calculator and making it the best hidden video game toy in the school system. But games have been available for at least 10 years now on the TI-brand of calculators.)

Either way, these actions are surprising for a company that was voted by Business Ethics as one of the top 100 corporate citizens in 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007

***********

Hi Buzz Crew,

Just had to report a strange occurrence involving bluetooth, an iPhone
and a Toyota Prius:

My wife and I were both driving home from the gym. I was engaged in a
phone call (using my iPhone and a bluetooth earpiece). She was
following a few car lengths back in our new bluetooth-equipped Toyota
Prius. Suddenly my phone call ended. I chalked it up to typical
cellphone dropped calls. But in fact here’s what happened. Our Prius
was close enough behind my car that its built-in bluetooth paired with
my iPhone, effectively hijacking the call. My wife said she was
listening to the radio and was interrupted by my friends voice asking
“are you still there?”

Anyway… thought it was an interesting story.

John, Rochester, NY

There's a little panic over the fact that Bing's market share dropped last month, but you have to remember, folks, Bing is young. Rafe puts it in perspective for us. Also, Kindle gets a price cut and goes worldwide, yo. That's big. What is also big is the keylogger network that's hijacking everyone's Web mail accounts. We can help you out with that, a bit.

Listen now: Download today's podcast

Another Kindle price cut…and it goes wireless internationally
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/10/06/financial/f210208D88.DTL&tsp=1
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10369321-93.html

AT&T to allow VoIP iPhone apps on 3G network
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-10368955-37.html

Huge Web mail phishing scam spreading fast
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8294714.stm

Australian ISP in court for not disconnecting users
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2009/10/australian-isp-in-court-for-not-disconnecting-users.ars

Court rules for software ownership over licensing
http://yro.slashdot.org/story/09/10/06/2245214/Court-Rules-For-Software-Ownership-Over-Licensing

HitWise says Microsoft Bing fell 0.5 percent to Google’s gain
http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Search-Engines/HitWise-Says-Microsoft-Bing-Fell-5-to-Googles-Gain-529954/

DoubleTwist unveils an alternative to the iTunes music store, powered by Amazon MP3
http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/10/06/doubletwist-unveils-an-alternative-to-the-itunes-music-store-powered-by-amazon-mp3/

E.U. approves test of Windows 7 ‘Browser Ballot’
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2353906,00.asp

Fans come together to complete "Star Wars Uncut"
http://entertainment.slashdot.org/story/09/10/06/1647234/Fans-Come-Together-To-Complete-Star-Wars-Uncut

“Apps for Innovation” Developer Contest
http://www.ce.org/GovernmentAffairs/Innovation_Movement/apps-contest.asp

VOICE MAIL
Rick on Vonage

Stewart on gas masks

E-MAIL
Hey Buzz-Crew,

In ep 1077 you asked for a CIO/CTO to weigh in on the IBM Inotes vs Goolge Docs hypothetical prize fight for our hypothetical business. While I am not of that stature at my company I do sit right outside the out CIO’s office so I wrestled him down, duct taped him to his chair and made him answer this very question!

Okay, well not really that first part but he did answer and here is what he said:

“We actually looked at Google Docs for cost reduction and there is no way we could use it. With all the customer data that we have and the nature of our business (not to mention internal systems) having something in the cloud would be much to risky. Cloud stuff just isn’t reliable enough for us to even consider using it. Not only that but there was no way that Legal would let us (not to mention that it didn’t clear SOX compliance). And let us not forget about our ‘wonderful’ users. The learning curve that they would have to deal with might just break them.”

So there you have it. The argument against clouds at my company are (1) Reliability, (2) Legal / SOX issues and (3) Inept users.

Love the show,

M
The overweight I.T. Ninja

P.S.- Sorry for the anonymity but I’m just covering my bacon (if you know what I mean).

**********

Hey, Buzz crew,

With all the discussion about mobile OS platforms and developers in
yesterday’s show (episode 1078), I’m surprised you didn’t mention the
announcement Adobe made on Monday about how they’re going to enable
Flash developers to code apps in Flash that can then be converted into
native iPhone apps. Technical merits aside, it’s an interesting move by
Adobe to keep Flash application and game developers from abandoning
Flash to take a swing at developing apps solely for the iPhone, and you
have to wonder if Apple is somewhat annoyed that five iPhone apps
created with this technique made it into the app store.

–Brian from Bowie, MD

**********

Hey Buzz Crew,
I am listening to Episode 1076, (I’m a bit behind) and upon hearing Tom’s dreams of “Tenspeed and Brownshoe” being streamed online, I ran over to Google to find out what in the world he was talking about. So of course, I wound up at IMDB reading up on the subject, how mundane right? Why would I be emailing to tell you this? Well, I noticed at the top of their page, a popularity ranking, and had to laugh when I saw that the popularity of the series went up 34% this week. Glad I wasn’t the only one left wondering “wtf?” after that comment!

Love the show!

Patrick Sullivan
Augusta, GA

**********

Hey guys,
I’m a couple episodes behind, so you may have already talked about this but: things just got real with Palm http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/05/palm-throws-the-doors-open-review-free-app-distribution-over-th/

What better way to compete with the iTunes app store than to lower the barrier of entry for open source apps and decentralize the distribution of free apps.

Jake (the computer science student in Grand Rapids)